haitin1. a republic in the west indies on the western part of the island of hispaniola; achieved independence from france in 1804; the poorest and most illiterate nation in the western hemisphere [syn: haiti, republic of haiti]

Haiti (; ; Haitian Creole Ayiti ), officially the Republic of Haiti (; ), is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. In French, the country's nickname is La Perle des Antilles (The Pearl of the Antilles), because of its natural beauty. It is the most mountainous nation in the Caribbean and the country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at . By area, Haiti is the third largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba and the Dominican Republic), with (roughly the size of the U.S. state of Hawaii or the country of Belgium). By population, Haiti is the second largest Caribbean nation, with and an estimated 10.7 million people, just under a million of whom live in the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

Noun1. a republic in the West Indies on the western part of the island of Hispaniola; achieved independence from France in 1804; the poorest and most illiterate nation in the Western Hemisphere (synonym) Republic of Haiti (hypernym) country, state, land (member-holonym) Organization of American States, OAS (part-holonym) Hispaniola, Haiti, Hayti (member-meronym) Haitian (part-meronym) Port-au-Prince, Haitian capital2. an island in the West Indies (synonym) Hispaniola, Hayti (hypernym) island (part-holonym) Greater Antilles (part-meronym) Haiti, Republic of Haiti

Background
The native Arawak Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island - Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE and after a prolonged struggle, became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.